The Seattle Kraken are on a heater. After their latest win, a 7-4 triumph over the Columbus Blue Jackets in which they came back from behind on three separate occasions, the Kraken are 11-0-2 in their last 13 games.
One of the players at the “center” of this streak is Alex Wennberg. He logged an assist Saturday night in 20:22 of ice time. With injuries to both Andre Burakovsky and Matty Beniers, Wennberg had to take on more ice time. He and his teammates responded with a 5-2 run in the final 40 minutes to win going away.
Wennberg’s career has been interesting to say the least. He was drafted 14th overall by the Blue Jackets in the 2013 NHL Draft. His time in Columbus was a bumpy one. Former coach John Tortorella didn’t seem to get along with him. It led to inconsistency and not reaching the potential some thought he had.
Wennberg is now 29 and is playing in his 10th NHL season. He’s in a situation with the Kraken that he’s on a good team, making contributions and enjoying his life post Blue Jackets.
We caught up with Wennberg on Saturday night to talk about the Kraken’s success and then we spent some time on his memories with the Blue Jackets. Here is our Q&A.
Wennberg Q&A
THW: 11-0-2. Especially tonight when your team loses Andre Burakovsky and Matty Beniers to injury, what were you guys able to do to carry the team to victory with just 18 skaters?
Wennberg: “Yeah, a couple of men short, nothing really changed. We play the same way. Some guys had to eat up some more minutes but just a solid team effort. I would say it always looked pretty this game. We have some times when they kept the momentum. They were skating hard. But we just find a way to win. That’s what we’ve been doing of late as well.”
THW: Your team had a tough start to the season. Things are clicking now. Was there a point in which you could sense that positive change was coming for your team?
Wennberg: “We had a losing streak of eight games in a row. We had some talk in the locker room and I feel a lot of it comes down to our effort and our ability to play better. We kind of called ourselves out to each other and said ‘Hey, we could be better and win some games.’ That’s what we’re doing.”
THW: How much confidence did the Winter Classic give your team moving forward?
Wennberg: “That’s a different game for sure with everything around it. The quality of the game is a little more sloppy with the ice. I feel like that pushed us in the right direction and gave us momentum. We were winning a couple games before and just kept going after it. It’s tough. The schedule is what it is, right? We make the best of it, but right now I feel like we’ve been handling it really well.”
Oliver Bjorkstrand
THW: How’s the friendship with Oliver Bjorkstrand these days?
Wennberg: (Laughing) “We talked about it coming in. We came to into this team like Columbus together. We had great memories playing with each other and it’s fun to reconnect. There’s so many guys you play with that you don’t ever see again. So to have a good friend like Ollie come in and play, it’s a lot of fun.”
THW: How excited were you when you saw Bjorkstrand get the nod for the All-Star Game?
Wennberg: “I mean, you saw the joy in the video, right?” (Laughing)
THW: “I saw your Instagram exchange too.”
Wennberg: “Exactly. He’s a hell of a player. I remember I played with him at the first Traverse City tournament. When you see his ability to find the back of the net and make plays, it’s well deserved. He’s a healthy player and I feel he really earned it.”
Blue Jackets’ Reflections
THW: Let’s do some word association. What is the first thing that comes to mind when I say Columbus Blue Jackets?
Wennberg: “That’s where it all started. I have a lot of respect for this organization. They gave me the chance and I feel like I grew up from coming in as a young guy and matured. Obviously it wasn’t the happy ending. Still, there’s a lot of great memories from here, a lot of good teammates, a lot of great people you met around here. So I have nothing but appreciation.”
THW: Do you still talk to some of the guys?
Wennberg: “Yes, as much as I can. I went to dinner with Emil Bemstrom the other night. Hockey life is just intense. They have their own schedule. We have ours. From when I was here, I think there’s three guys left on this team so a lot of new guys.”
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THW: What comes to your mind when you come back to Nationwide Arena?
Wennberg: “It’s great memories. There’s a lot of change from when I was here. You can see painting new walls. Just walking around the city. Just going to the old places, having dinner. It just brings back a lot of the good times. I remember the good times here instead of looking at the bad.”
THW: Your journey has been an interesting one, from the buyout to playing with the Panthers and now with the Kraken. What have you been able to learn about yourself through all the different stops? You mentioned maturity earlier.
Wennberg: “The ending here in Columbus, me and John Tortorella didn’t really get along. And then how it all turned out we’re getting bought out, it kind of shocked me. I wouldn’t say it was a wake up call but I still believed I was a really good player and Florida took a chance on me. After that, I feel like that just raised my confidence. When I was here, I went into the slum a little bit. Right now, I just feel like I’m growing and even I feel like I’m still young, 29 years old. I’m still getting better and better. From the journey for me, there’s a lot of good things (I learned) for us.”
